Man Raze is the current project of Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Simon Laffy of the glam metal band Girl, whose members went on to such projects as L.A. Guns and tours with Yngwie Malmsteen. Their album Surreal is the culmination of a four-year musical relationship that began with a tiny show in 2005 which received rave reviews and convinced the band to continue the bet. Sounds like a pretty cool project, right?

But there's a problem: The styles don't always mesh. Although some tracks, like the reggae-influenced 'Runnin' Me Up' are different enough from any of the musician's familiar styles, and project a unified sound, there's an awful lot here that makes you go "hey, that sounds like a shredding 80s guitarist playing with a 70s London punk drummer and that doesn't make much sense."


'Turn it Up' actually sounds like Def Leppard covering the Sex Pistols, which while not unpleasant, is more than a little bizarre. The chronic overuse of gang vocals is one of my personal least favorite facets of 80s haircentric guitar metal, and it seems Collen has a hard time letting go of that 80s sound, even if he's dropped the 80s aesthetic (but don't worry, ladies - he still plays shirtless and makes it look good).

The opening track, 'This Is' makes me cry "rip-off." Go to Youtube and find a live performance of the song. Then look up the 1980 Germany performance of 'Nobody's Hero' by Stiff Little Fingers. See? Told you so. While it's one of the most listenable and rockin' tunes on Surreal, 'This Is' made me think immediately that Man Raze was the Bud Light version of Stiff Little Fingers.

The album surprised me, however, with the range of its sound, which spans from straightforward hard rock to reggae, and hails back to influences as diverse as The Police ('Can't Find My Own Way'), Rancid ('Runnin' Me Up'), and Jesus Jones ('Every Second of Every Day'). While there's nothing here free of a certain derivative quality, the band seems to answer that challenge before it's even made with the song 'It's Entertainment,' a song that deals with themes of fame and the lack of control public figures have over their private lives.


On a very positive note, Collen has lost none of his chops over the years, technical or otherwise. His screamingly melodic solos and riffs will please a wide range of listeners and produce veritable eargasms in Leppardites. 'Skin Crawl' and 'Low' are among the album's most original tracks, and while they hail back to the same mid-to-late-80s sound, there are some new tricks to be found here, and Collen really wails.

'Connected to You' rocks. Hard. In 1987, this would have been a top-ten single stateside. It's the one track that Paul Cook shows up for in a big way, and at 53, this guy still knows how to beat the ever-loving crap out of a drum kit. He's by no means a bad drummer - far from it - but 'Connected to You' requires a little more out of him, and he gives it with style.

The album-closer 'Shadow Man' is a down-tempo groove with nicely arpeggiated riffs and Collen's most soulful vocals. It's an odd departure to a more mid-90s sound than the rest of the album, and I'd gladly hear more along these lines from the Man Raze boys. It bookends the album extremely well without feeling like just a bookend, and Collen once again displays the range and technical prowess of his playing.

If you're a Def Leppard fan, this should be a no-brainer purchase, but for those of you who aren't huge fans of 80s rock, give Man Raze a listen anyway. This may be a great intro to a new world for you.